Spiders and Snakes, OH MY!!

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We arrived at an Airlie Beach hostel around sunset last night, and were greeted by what sounded like a butch of fighting cats. Found out they were Flying Foxes... bats, and big ones 24-30" wing spans. They were fighting over some of the fruit in the trees around the complex. We shared our breakast with a bunch of parrots, then took a wonderful hike to a remote coral beach. Couldn't help but talking a picture of the proper ladies participating in a bowling tournament.

While drive we saw that Gladstone had a good botanical garden, so stopped..it was wonderful.. botanical gardens here seem to be a combination of botanical garden, public park and bird sancuary. We took a really nice hike through the rainforest portion. The tree picture shows one tree with aerial roots that turn into truncks.

We are headed to Rockhampton. We've set aside a day to relax, so we are staying for two nights at the historic Criterion Hotel on the river front. There is a guy here name Capricorn Dave that is supposed to give an entertaining tour of the outback.

Can't find a coffee shop and can't find internet, so things are off to a rough start, although the hotel is great and the best place in town to sample the beef that the area is know for...cattle capital of AUS.

Dave picks us up in an old 8 passenger van, but it has all kinds of testimonies from people having an amazing time scribbled over every square inch of the inside of the van. We head off to pick up four young guys then were off to one of the huge cattle stations he has access to.

First stop is a bunch of ant hills. He starts stomping around and they all come out of the ground chancing him. He's bearfoot (of course) and when he stops they raise up his leg. They're supposed to for a "bush sock." You know how guys do things just to impress their girlfriend? Well, I thought I'd impress Ruth and give it a try, yikes, couldn't get Ruth to take the picture fast enough..those little buggers bite.

Then we areoff for an outback facial. We stop at a billabong (waterhole) and jump in the water (freezing). Dave says to reach down and grab a handful of mud. The trees around the billabong are tea trees and there leaves are supposed to add oils to the mud which are good for your skin. We spead the mud all over and then let the sun dry it out. Back in the water to wash it off...it really did make my skin feel good.

Then we hope in the van and start smelling smoke...everyone grab your passports and get out of the van!!!! Dave had swapped batteries and supposedly this one was too tall and it hade the metal cover touching both terminals...all fixed.

Now we are off to all kinds of places turning over logs, stones, pieces of old buildings trying to find snakes and spiders....we end up finding a lot of other creepy crawlers also. Turned over a piece of cheet metal and Dave goes into skamper trying to catch this black snake about a meter long...only a deadly young red bellied black snake. It gets away and we're still digging around trying to find it...are we nuts or what. Dave then goes over to a huge tree and looks up into a knot hole and gets a satisfied look. He points his torch up into the dark and all you see are two eyes reflecting back...it's a huge spider. He reaches up and brings it out. Sure enough it's very calm and lets us all handle it...all except Ruth, where did Ruth go?

Then we are off somewhere else and get stuck in the mud. Then he takes a swing into someones barn and grabs a spare car battery, and we stop for lunch and a nice hike thru a state park looking at Bush turkey, bugs and such. After a while he pulls over to show us some green ants crawling all over a tree. He grabs one by the head and bites it's bum and says it tastes like lime...sure enough it does.

Then we stop at some range cattle to see a Brahma up close and he explains how the brand on each cow explains who owns it, what year it was born, etc.

Our final stop is for a campfire and coffee and cookies as the sun is setting. It's dark and time to head home. As we drive the car starts acting up so he pulls over under a light pole and swaps batteries. The rest of the way home he tailgates a semi truck with his lights off to save on the battery..his alternator is gone. I suggest he turn of radio rather than lights and his responds that would be too high a price to pay...he likes his oldies music...we're talking 60's Herman's Hermits.

Safely back to town to his favorite watering hole for a beer and celebrate another safe trip home...what a character!!

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